§ Viscount Montgomery of Alameinasked the Chairman of Committees:
What percentage of the total broadcasting of Parliamentary proceedings on (a) radio and (b) television relates to the House of Lords and what percentage to the House of Commons.
§ The Chairman of Committees (Lord Ampthill)It is difficult to give accurate percentage figures for coverage of the House of Lords and the House of Commons in (a) radio and (b) televison.
Most listeners arid viewers will hear and see coverage in news programmes. Here an analysis of the breakdown between the two Houses could only be obtained at disproportionate expense. Usually the House of Commons receives greater coverage than the House of Lords.
In programmes devoted to the work of Parliament, the position is as follows:
BBC Radio (period 24 January to 18 February 1994)
Today in Parliament
Duration of programme 30 minutes: House of Lords coverage 21 per cent.
Yesterday in Parliament
Duration of programme 10.15 minutes: House of Lords coverage 12.5 per cent.
BBC Television (24 January to 18 February 1994)
Westminster Daily
During the period the Lords sat on 16 days. They were featured in the reports on 15 days.
The average over these days was 14.3 per cent. On the day of the Bosnia debate the percentage was 30.5 per cent.
Westminster Live
House of Lords coverage: average figure 5 per cent.
Scrutiny (devoted to the work of committees)
House of Lords coverage: less than 1 per cent.
Regional weekly programmes
Key votes in the House of Lords are reported. Programmes, however, concentrate on the work of local Members of Parliament.
ITN
ITN estimates that under 10 per cent. of its news bulletin coverage would be devoted to the House of Lords.
Channel 4
House to House: not available
86WAA Week in Politics (23 October 1993 to 19 February 1994)
Fifteen per cent. of the coverage was devoted to the House of Lords.
BSkyB
The Sky news channel broadcasts a weekly half-hour programme "The Lords This Week". The House of Commons is covered on a daily basis.
A computer search of its remaining coverage (which inevitably gives an imprecise result) suggests that about 2 per cent. of coverage deals with the House of Lords.
The Parliamentary Channel
Broadcasts in full the proceedings of the House of Lords, starting at 7.00 a.m. on the day after the House sits.